Computer systems typically comprise a combination of computer programs and hardware, such as semiconductors, transistors, chips, circuit boards, storage devices, and processors. The computer programs are stored in the storage devices and are executed by the processors.
One use of computer systems is in a technology known as cloud computing, wherein customers buy or rent computing services. In cloud computing, customers may use computing resources, programs, and data via a network. An analogy is often drawn between cloud computing and an electricity grid. Customers can purchase and use electricity without owning the electrical generating plant or the transmission wires and without knowing which company generated the electricity or what fuel the company used to generate the electricity. Similarly, in cloud computing, customers can access programs, computing resources, and data without owning the computer on which the programs and data are stored and executed, without knowing the identity of the company the developed the programs and data, and without knowing the location where the computer that executes the programs and stores the data is located.